Incredulous
by Sugarsnaps me
Summary: When your world falls apart, sometimes all you can turn to is music, the dark walls of your room and the boy next door. E/J, AH, FHS M
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters those rights belong to Stephanie Meyer._

**A/N:** I usually write in third person but I couldn't find Jasper's voice, therefore I figured to give it a try and rewrite this – it's JPOV, I hope that you like it. This won't be a long story but I want to share it anyways. It's unbetaed and probably really odd, short and whatever. Tell me what you think :')

- Soph

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

I let my fingers pluck a few notes that floated off in the cool night air. Trying to shut out the muffled screaming from behind me had become a second nature for me by now. The darkness was a security blanket, I had been sitting out here this way for years now. I was atop of my old, ratty truck, guitar in place and back propped against the cool windshield. I probably should have slung a jacket over my t-shirt but I couldn't be bothered. Not today.

There was one thing out of place, though. Something made the hair on my neck stand, I felt as if someone was studying me. Of course, it wasn't my parents because they were busy screaming at each other at the moment. The same shit as usual. Mom had probably downed the entire tequila bottle by now – although I had to admit that it had become a favorite of mine to.

I strummed a couple of notes from 'Bittersweet Symphony' but I really needed Alice's violin to make it fly. It was a favorite of hers and who was I to deny her that? I would make sure that she got to work up enough confidence to speak to that gangly, quiet boy who sulked around the halls as if _he_ had something to be pissed about. The sucker lived in a mansion and his parents were disgustingly in love. Albeit that seeing them stumble out of a bathroom giggling in school junior year might have scarred him… I smirked and tipped my head back fully against the top of the roof.

Soundlessly, I mouthed the lyrics and let one leg slip down horizontal against the hood as another angry cry sliced through the air out to me. Every fucking night.

It's Thursday night and we just reached April, you would think that they had some spring feelings left for each other – everybody else was pairing up. It was like freaking Noah's Arc everywhere else, birds, squirrels and dears, pairing up. The Hales on the other hand, we were destined to be alone even in a marriage… that's not true, mom had her bottles and they kept her company every night… as for dad, he got his company from his… company. I snorted and shook my head minutely.

I wasn't planning on going inside anytime soon, this house was located in the puddle named Forks and at the moment, the roof was being lifted by sheer sound volume. Everybody knew about these screaming match because it had been going on for years and years. They were somewhat infamous. No secrets in this town, the Hales' marriage was more than troubled… nor was Isabella Hale's drinking problem or the fact that Mike Hale enjoyed a younger model than his wife every now and then. However, lately it had been more 'now' and not so much 'then' – most old bitches in this town even came up to me and told me about what a 'poor boy' I was with such unfortunate parents.

When these quarrels take place, I'm rather not in the house and therefore, I flee outside. The last thing I saw was my mother waving a half empty bottle at my father, wobbling slightly as she grasped the kitchen counter, she had makeup all over her face that once upon a time had been somewhat pretty. Dad had been glaring at her from the other side of the room, working up his courage to scream back. Apparently 'that filthy skanky whore' as my mother so eloquently put it, had forgotten a pair of more… intimate items of clothing in the car.

A heavy drop of rain splashed against my forehead but this wasn't unusual either, it wasn't much to do about. This was Forks. Of course it would be raining. When it got too heavy, I climbed into the dinosaur I got for my sixteenth birthday, but the bottom line is that I would rather freeze to death than go inside now. If I hid in my room – that I actually like a lot – mom would storm in with tears and thereby just move the fight in there since dad surely would follow… then they would want me to take sides.

"Just get divorced already…" I muttered the words to no one and moved on to 'Punk Rock Song' by Bad Religion. I was too slow and it sounded hollow without the help from Em and Al.

I have been hoping for a divorce since I was about nine, now at eighteen, it's more a suggestion than a wish.

The chill of the night was starting to bite, it slither down my body in a shiver… I need them to finish in there so I could go to sleep. At least the rain subsided and the clouds started to fade enough for the full moon to slip through. Everything around me looked like a black and white movie, shouldn't those be mute? Because the screaming surely didn't fit in.

I frowned as a light to my right came on, the house next to ours. Apparently it was since recently occupied, Al had been babbling about it for days now but I hardly cared, I just felt bad for the bastards because they wouldn't live in peace next to my house. Em had babbled about the new girl that came with the family, he had brought several magazines for comparison to her body. According to him, she was in possession of one of those voluptuous bodies that was a gift to earth… according to Emmett that is. She had been carrying a box inside and with that box, Emmett's heart went. I just hope for that suckers sake that it was on the way to her room and not knifes for the kitchen.

Emmett knew that I hardly cared if Marilyn Monroe would rise from the dead and move in, but this didn't prevent him from giving the most disturbing details his mind could muster. The 'fuck-me-backwards-stunning' girl was by all probability only half as gorgeous as he described because the time he told me about Lauren Mallory when we were fifteen, he had been far off base. I would never forget the disappointment on his face from the day he saw her for the second time. The poor bastard. I chuckled darkly and started on a song that had been swimming in my mind for days but I couldn't name yet… if it even had a name yet – I'm not sure.

I had been sitting in my own demure of a room when Emmett hurled himself through the door and flopped down in the midnight blue armchair that sat under the dormer window, after that he had flapped his mouth about everything I had missed under my day of suspension, but mostly the new addition to the puddle. A doctor – good luck catching any sleep from now on, a boy our age and of course, miss tight-ass herself.

I would much rather be in my room right now than outside because it's getting fucking cold. I sent a pointed glare towards the house again. My room is tucked away in the corner of our house, as far away as you can get from everybody else. The walls and carpet are deeply black and the details such as the bedspread and the armchair possessed a dark blue. Everything was dark and soulful – Alice had decorated it to fit me… and of course it did. All three of us had scribbled lyrics and poems on the walls in white pen, the sloping roof and even on the furniture. This was how we expressed ourselves, music and poems, when she had painted my room, Alice handed me a set of white pencils and told me to 'go wild'. It got more character for each year that passed since she had pouted until the renovation was approved. Now the effortless and mindless scribbling balanced out all the dark and especially since the text had been doodled everywhere in every angle and way – Emmett had even taken the liberty of writing about the new girl backwards on the windowsill today.

I know every word that has been written in the room as if it's a piece of my soul.

However, as Emmett went on and on about this future Mrs. McCarty, I couldn't help but feel resentful. I knew that I was a sullen piece of shit and by now, my mind was darker than the walls in my room, deeper than the words that clad my walls. Not only is Emmett and his twin Alice my best friends, they are also the only two people who truly knew me… knew _about_ me.

The two of them had even been the ones to figure it out first when we turned fifteen, they had also thoroughly tested the theory against my will. I was thankful, of course… but the only two kisses of my life was delivered by my best friends in a test. Little tadpole Alice with her oversized, expressive eyes and then her brother Emmett with his impressive height and bulging muscles… neither of them had thought more of it once it had been established that I preferred Emmett's scruffy face over Alice's smooth skinned one. The only thing that proved that it had happened was the smug look on Em's face, as if he had won a contest and he even fist pumped the air and then slapped me on the back with the words, "I don't blame you, man. I'm a hot piece of ass."

After this, Alice had gone back to plucking on the guitar – one of the five that hung on my walls – and Emmett turned on the television to watch the latest game on repeat… myself, I had been sitting a bit stunned on my bed where they left me, out of my head confused about the last couple of minutes. Sure, Al had been a bit pissed until I confirmed that she was a great kisser, then she had simply shrugged with a grin and voiced the lyrics of "I Love Rock 'N' Roll".

I flinched, falling off the hood of the car, as my thoughts were shattered into pieces – just as the kitchen window. It was one of my dad's trophies that flew through the glass and it was probably my mom because Mike Hale would never toss those around carelessly. His youth was all he had. I didn't know what to do, my guitar hung from my hand as I stared at the hole she had made, the angry voices were now carrying out clearer than ever. The usual death threats and angry words cut through the last glimmer of piece that I had felt… it died completely as another trophy hit the remaining glass and landed in the damp grass with a muffled thud.

It didn't take a genius to figure out how this night would end… I would be the one person sober enough in the house to clean this up, my dad would be off in minutes and mom would pass out against a wall somewhere.

It didn't take a full minute after the second trophy before dad stomped out through the door, not even giving me a second look, and went across the lawn to his car and then drove off.

I shouldn't be shocked, nor should I be pissed. I _knew_ all of this. But still, I stared agape after the car that tore out of it space by the pavement and quickly broke all the speed limits as it disappeared down the street. I took up my phone and the subtle glow of the display told me that it was after one-thirty in the morning, Friday morning… I could only guess where he was going.

I shuffled towards the door that had slammed shut behind him, I could smell the vomit and booze as soon as I hit the porch. As least the broken window would air it out, I noted bitterly and walked into the hallway, took a left and found my mother slumped against the fridge, bottle clutched against her chest and her eyes drooping. "Honey!" she slurred and waved the bottle halfheartedly at me. "Jay-man…" she rasped and I guessed that the cold air from the window was already affecting her throat. "He left, Jay-man. To fuck that whore from his office." I cringed, even though – again – it shouldn't take me by surprise.

I closed my eyes for a second to collect myself before I crouched by her side, stroking a strand of her long, brown hair from her face. Once, she had been beautiful, now she looked like a broken and worn doll, pale, dry skin that was stretched tightly over her face, deep shadows under her eyes and cracked lips.

She used to be known for her perfect skin, she had shy features, nothing extreme but she had been beautiful, small and pale with a dark contrast of brown hair and eyes. She was born a Swan in the literal fact but now she had turned into the ugly duckling. No matter how much my parents fight, I still got to hear about the fairytale that my parents used to be, the shy, invisible wallflower who was swept away and loved into pieces by the popular jock.

"If only people could see you now," I mumbled and gently pried the bottle from her death grip and carefully sat it on the floor as she gave off a snore.

I heaved a sigh and scooped her up, she had always been tiny but even four years ago when I was a skinny and underdeveloped fourteen year old, I was still able to carry her effortlessly to bed after she passed out somewhere in the house. I took her to their bedroom, tucked her in and tried to shut out the way she spoke in her sleep, this was a personality trait of hers and when I was little, I used to listen to her. I pretended that it was fairytales at first, when I got older, it was a code I tried to break as I fathomed myself an agent… now her drunken rambles were just as pathetic as her broken self. It was echoes of nonsense. Tonight was no different.

I touched my lips to her forehead and snagged the bottle of vodka off her bedside table, knowing well that she had more of them stuffed under her bed and in the table but it was better than nothing, and then left.

Now I only needed to clean up their mess.

«»

I pressed the heels of my palm against my eyes and sighed, I had gotten less than two hours of sleep last night, when I finally passed out on my bed, I had done so in my jeans and t-shirt, not even bothering to get under the covers. It was hard to shut out the shatter of the people around me. My peers had surprisingly little to talk about in school, the voices are buzzing around me as if it's celebrities that's started our school. Whispers are floating through the halls like tidal waves, leaving only that to speak of behind. Their voices rose as they thought the newbies were far away and then fell into whispers once the walked by.

I couldn't be more sick of it.

However, Emmett doesn't seem to be the only one swooning over the new girl. Her as was apparently 'smackable'. Disgusting, poor girl. Although, Alice said something about New Girl's brother being a fine specimen, too, so he would be starring every fantasy of the females by the end of this day.

I could only wish.

We were a pathetically close-knit little group, the three of us. We had been since kindergarten when Alice stalked up to me and hung herself around my neck, saying that I was her 'bestest friend in the whole world' and stared at me with those eyes of hers. She sounded so sure that I couldn't doubt that she was right, even if it was the first time I ever saw her. She came with an additional package of a boy who never walked anywhere, he ran even if it was to move two feet. When he sat, he jumped up and down or drummed. No wonder he got to be as huge as he is now, the man never sat still and finally got to spend his energy on the football field.

Honestly, I don't know what I would do without either of them. Alice was grumbling into her locker, for such an organized person, her locker was surprisingly cluttered and she was now clawing for her pink little pencil, the lucky one she stuck behind her ear. She needed it to 'pull her outfit together'. The London-style, rounded gentleman hat sat on the back of her head, her shirt spiky hair sticking out perfectly carefree – as if. This with her suspender pants, only one strap holding them up, and the striped, black-and-white tank top and pink docs, she truly looked like a cartoon.

I grinned at her as she victoriously thrust the pencil in the air and then stuck it behind her ear. "Remember that you're gorgeous, Al," I told her as she gave me a small frown in question, her shoulders sagged in relief and then she lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I can't believe that you walked here, man." Emmett fell heavily against the locker by us, crossing his arms and sighing heavily, he laughed loud enough to make a scrawny boy who passed stumble and almost drop his books. I didn't blame him, Emmett was one scary bastard. "I could have picked you up, ya' know!"

I groaned by the mention of it. "I'm so tired of that fucking piece of shit…" I grumbled and once again rubbed my hands over my face. I got my mother's faded, red truck at my sixteenth birthday and she in her turn had gotten it from her grandfather. To say that it was in bad shape was a serious understatement. These days, it hardly ran at all, I only got halfway to school this morning before it huffed and took a break. I didn't have the energy to fight the thing and just got up and walked away, leaving the keys in the ignition in hope that someone would steal it. Or try, I doubt that anybody can get that piece of junk moving, it would cling to the ground like a stubborn old man leaving his home.

"Well," Alice mumbled and glanced at my damp hair, I narrowed my eyes at her, daring her to say something. Of course, she did. "If you didn't buy those guitars of yours, you might have enough money to buy a new car… that way you wouldn't show up here looking like a drenched cat." She wrinkled her petite little nose and gave me an onceover. "I mean, what you pay to import those things cost as much as the guitar does to begin with. One is enough, you know."

"Whatever, pinky."

"Fuck off." And there it was. The resemblance to her brother. These were the times you could see that she was Emmett's twin. Alice is short, barely five feet – although she ate just as much as her six-feet-three-inches brother. She was thin as a stick with black and wild hair, short and crazy just as its owner. She had ghostly pale skin, which looked even paler I contrast to the dark eye makeup she wore. Emmett is _huge_, the hair color is the same but he had waves and dimples and color in his face.

I laughed and shoved her to the side, she tumbled backwards as if she was hit with the force of a car and glared at me.

"Oh, grab my balls and call my mama!" he sounded off, _strained_. I snapped my head around and looked at him with wide eyes. _What?_

"Excuse me? I rather not!" Alice huffed and crossed her stick-arms over her chest. Her brows were knitted together but as we followed Emmett's gaze, we got it. Sort of.

It was the new girl who walked down the halls, I could actually see where Em was coming from. She was beautiful, curvy, not too thin with golden waves, her features were perfection. She didn't do anything for Jasper, but then again, he hadn't expected her to. But he would be the first – or second with Emmett close by – to admit that the girl was stunning… which didn't make sense for her to have _that_ expression on her face. She had big and green eyes, framed by thick and long lashes that were black as the night, a mouth formed to perfection and a nose looking as if had been carved by an artist.

If she looked like that… I almost didn't want to know how her brother looked because _that _could get uncomfortable.

However, I couldn't help but wonder why she would look so insecure… no scratch that, this girl looked down right scared. Her eyes were flickering around and her arms tightly hugged her torso as she walked forward with eyes cast down. Alice gave her white docs an appreciating glance. The new girl had black jeans and a black and white baseball jersey, clearly approved by Alice. I could see her walking next to Al effortlessly without looking out of place as most people did… that was just the thing, Alice – no matter how crazy she looked, she never looked like the odd one. Everybody else did. Although, Al would probably grab the girl's shirt and rip it, or given her a slightly messed up band t-shirt instead.

The poor girl didn't look much better as girls threw bitchy stares her way, these accompanied by crude comments from the males. It was as if they were slicing her open right there, beauty was a crime, that's for sure.

When the poor girl had rounded the corner, the level of sound rose even higher and I felt really bad for her, but I couldn't help but trying to imagine her brother because if he looked half as good as his sister, I wouldn't get through these last months of high school comfortably. None of the guys really did anything for me, but walking around with an obvious hard-on wasn't something any of us enjoyed.

Alice turned to Emmett. "So that's the girl you are crushing on, huh?" she asked, feigning innocence as Emmett stared after the blonde, as she looked back at me, she smirked. "You should have heard him last night! I've never seen him like this." She rolled her eyes at her brother's big ones and I shook my head. I'd heard the story enough times during the afternoon.

The bell finally blared, calling us to class. I wasn't really in the mood for physics, not my strongest subject. I left my friends and then shuffled to the classroom located in the basement of the school, it was cold and murky and as I sank down behind Erik Yorkie – Alice's big crush – and glanced up towards the top of the wall where the small rectangle window was located. Not that it let any sunlight in because this was Forks after all.

Eric turned to me, waggling his eyebrows – yeah, he doesn't know – and said, "Did you see the new girl?" _Poor Alice_. I bobbed my head once and then turned away, I didn't feel like mustering up the right amount of 'jerk' this morning. Eric was a huge – almost as big as Em – soccer player and spend most of his time at the gym with Em, Alice just happened to tag along now and then… and she was convinced that she was in love with the guy, honestly, I couldn't see it. He wasn't good looking, he reminded me a bit of a Saint Bernard dog, the only thing that was missing was the drool and the barrel. His huge frame and the fact that I sat furthest back in the room prevented me from seeing most of the front of the room.

When the new name, Edward Cullen, rang out, I couldn't see who apparently nodded because the teacher looked right in front of Yorkie and checked off on the list. I tried not to crane my neck and look around Eric. I didn't want to be that guy.

What distracted me was the heavy sign of rain that suddenly echoed through the school and I smirked. The truck was probably filling up with water at this very moment. Mike – _dad_- would have a fit.

Mr. Banner, the teacher of this damning subject, called my name as I was about to leave the classroom. He handed me a stack of papers, "I expect you to do these this time, Mr. Hale." He was a big man and as he peered down at me, I almost wanted to shrink away because I felt uncomfortable under his stare. His big head, big ego and big expectations were sucking the air out of the room.

I groaned under my breath and glanced towards the door, towards freedom. I nodded and then walked out, Banner seemed done.

I had just walked up the steps from the basement to the first floor as I saw a skinny little freshman walk up behind the new girl with a suggestive smirk, obviously spurred on by his friends. She was trying to get her locker open, a note in her hand which she glared at over and over. I felt sympathy for her, almost all lockers were impossible to open and it took years of experience. Nevertheless, this boy didn't have the intention of helping her. Once he reached her, he crudely slapped her bottom.

I had expected her to yell at him… maybe even punch him since he had it coming.

Was none of the people in the hallway had expected was for her to react with fear.

This girl crumbled, her knees literally seemed to give out as she spun around, her arms covering her throat, her eyes huge and full of fear – more than anybody could have expected… and as if this wasn't enough, even Jasper could hear the frightened sob that rung from her.

However, the boy next to her didn't have time to run – like it looked like he was about to, because before the girl hit the floor, the little leech was held up by the throat, pressed into one of the faded blue lockers by a tall, lean and gloriously furious Edward Cullen.

I felt as if someone had kneed me in the nads.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters those rights belong to Stephanie Meyer._

**A/N:** Here comes chapter two, my fingers felt a bit alive today so here we go. ;)

A banner for the story - albeit a bit boring and simple - is on my profile. I might come back and rewrite this one day, but I'll try to finish it. Like I said last time, it will be short, about 12 chapters, and they are all going to be this short.

- Soph

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

I must have looked as a complete fool as I stared at the glory that was Edward Cullen. I slowly dragged my eyes down his body, the way his jeans got tighter over his ass, his arm looked hard as steel where the jacket had slipped down… the arm that held the short freshman by the throat pressed against a locker.

Shit.

The hard-on that had began to grow instantly deflated and I swallowed, trying not to go into a mental commentary about his bronze, wind sex hair that I wouldn't mind help… styling… my pillow could do wonders with it.

But, as fuck-hot this guy was, he was also vibrating with anger as the now wide-eyed boy was being lifted higher off the floor. I tried to ignore the dark leather that clad his body, the dark jean that hugged his ass and the perfectly auburn hair that sat atop of his head… inviting you to drag your fingers through it.

_Fuck, Hale. Seriously not the time. _

_No, fuck Cullen._

_Yup. Definitely fuck Cullen._

I wanted to roll my eyes at myself and the way my hands twitched… Edward had a stunning profile, cheekbones sculpted by the perfectionist artist, straight nose pointing in direction of his perfectly plump lips… long, dark lashes making his stare intense… Furious.

_Get. A. Grip._

I was only glad that this wasn't the middle of the busiest hallway as I mentally helped Edward out of his clothes and preferably into a bed… or a janitors closet.

Finally, the little bugs friends started loudly in fear to scream at the new guy and this snapped my mind back into action – _the other kind of action_. I strode over the floor towards – _yes please_ – Edward and tried not to focus on imagining Edward's lips saying other things than sneering into the guys face. I couldn't head him but the freshman sure did. I almost felt sorry for him.

That was until I laid eyes on his sister, she was scrambling off the floor, shaking out of fear but she was starting to pull Edward's arm, pleading him to let go off the boy who was turning red in the face. I pleaded for no teachers to come this moment because that would end badly for Edward. _I can punish him, _my helpful mind offered as I beat it back.

"Edward, please don't!" his sister begged as her eyes nervously flickered around between the bystanders as if they would suddenly attack her. She paled at the sight of the boy's friends but never stopped pulling on her brother. "It's no big deal, he didn't hurt me. I overreacted!" she was whispering but the words were forceful, or at least getting there – his bottom lip were quivering violently and she look absolutely panicked.

Finally, I'm close enough to hear Edward's smooth voice as he hissed in the boy's ear, "Don't _ever_ fucking touch her again." He seems to use even more pressure as he lean in closer. "Don't look at her, don't think about her and if you ever fucking come close to her, I swear to fuck that I will wring that pathetic little neck of yours off your shoulders." I was practically shivering by now. But it was anything but fear. The low, threathening and sexy voice went through me like an electrical jolt, that voice would be _perfect_ for rasping out words to a guitar… or in his ear. _Hell, yeah._

_More important matters… like this boy being locked in for killing someone, then I'll never get him into a bed._

_As if I could now._

_Fuck_.

I took a few shaky inhales and then focused my mind on my new task, making sure that no neck-wringing take place. People were starting to fill up the halls, like flies to honey, and all that was missing was the chanting of "fight, fight, fight!" I sighed ass one of the friends of the currently squished boys seemed to grow a pair and stepped forward, _stumbled_ forward to be exact with a flush as his shoes squeaked against the floor. "Hey," he called weakly but it didn't go any further.

Edward was seemingly unaffected by the people around us as his eyes were zoomed in on the boy he had pressed up against a locker… a boy I actually wouldn't mind switching places with… minus the head-wringing. Shit. Right.

Edward didn't seem to notice anything but the core of his fury, not even his sister desperately yanking on his jacket. I let one of my hands heavily fall on Edward's shoulder, I knew that I could hold my own because nobody had Emmett as a best friend without bulking up a bit. I jerked him backwards, feeling a bit satisfied as Edward stumbled back a bit, but the poor kid – Taylor, I finally remembered – still looked terrified and he was still caught in a death grip.

"Cullen," I said quickly, hoping that my voice would hold up calmly because I was already feeling my body respond to simply saying his name. Out of – what I assume was – surprise by hearing his name, he spun around, finally letting go of Taylor's throat. All of a sudden, his frighteningly green eyes were boring into mine, a glare that was burning sent a shudder through my body, I wanted to ravish him.

Taylor stumbled away, wheezing as Edward sized me up, we were about the same height and equally muscled… but I'm fairly sure that I wouldn't come out on top.

I held up my hands, trying to calm him down. "Whoa! Cool off, why don't ya'?" Something glimmered in his eyes and I almost felt my knees give out. "No need wringing necks of the freshman, we'll just sent the quarterbacks after them," I said the last part a little louder and glared behind me. I was a fairly respected guy and it wasn't a secret that I had Emmett - and therefore the entire football team – to ask for help. I wasn't a popular guy, but Emmett sure was. I could hear the poor, skinny boys filter of fairly quickly by the sheer mention of McCarty. Em was one scary motherfucker after all.

Still, Edward charged towards me, however, I refused to move – why would I? The boy was after all close to pressing up against me. The only reason that could get awkward was for a certain body part of mine.

"Hey, man, do you want them to expel your ass-" I swallowed quickly. "- for assault? Because it doesn't take much for these kids to kick you out for a week or two." I should know. I noticed his green eyes glance towards his sister and decided to take advantage of this. "How do you suppose to take care of the ones laying an unwanted hand on her then?" I nodded towards the blonde to dot the 'i'. She was hugging her torso tightly and Edward's shoulders slumped a bit before he stood taller again, wrapping one protective arm around her. I lifted my eyebrows. "A thanks would be really fucking nice," I muttered, mostly because I needed to hear his voice again.

Instead, before I could walk away, a hand was extended. "Rosalie Cullen – Rose, thank you," the girl smiled sweetly and shyly, he noticed her hand slightly trembled in the air. I grinned at her, wanting to make the hair lighter as I firmly shook her hand. I was a bit shocked by the strength in her grip, I had expected a dead fish but she held her own.

I glanced at Edward before I introduced myself, but, the whole 'glance' thing was hard to do since the man was something close to magnetic. "Jasper Hale, at your service, ma'am." She chuckled and nudged her brother who was still glaring at me with his loose hand in a fist by his thigh.

People around us started to move around us and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. I was too tired for the mind-fuckery that Edward seemed to be doing, staring me down. I stood a bit taller, trying to find something else to say. "Where are you from?" I asked, _trying_ to look at Rosalie. Her hands were still trembling slightly and she had now fisted Edward's jacket… the jacket hanging around what I couldn't help but imagine was a sculpted body… my eyes probably lingered on his chest a little to long.

"Chicago," Rose said and smiled sweetly, glancing on the floor and she spoke, then smiled. "And Jacksonville and Alaska." She shrugged at my raised eyebrows. "We've moved around quite a bit. But seriously, don't ask how we ended up in this town because I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to." She laughed quietly and I smirked, I could see that she was telling the truth but worry was still etched between her brows and every now and then as she spoke, her voice became gradually quieter.

"Believe me," I said, trying to lighten the mood. "Forks wasn't my choice either." I glanced between them, lingering a bit too long at Edward and noticed the slight frown he didn't have time to cover. "What grade are you in?" I didn't think they were twins – they were alike and twins didn't have to be identical… but something didn't add up. They were both painfully stunning, but something dark marred Edward's face and made him seem older.

"We're both seniors but I'm a year younger – barely nine months, younger actually, than Edward… who hasn't introduced himself yet." Rosalie elbowed him in the ribs again, finally making him look down at her and she smiled somewhat reassuringly. I puckered my brow as I watched them, their subtle way of communicating was almost too minute to pick up. The way Edward tightened his grip every time someone passed too close, probably curious about what wecould possibly be talking about. Nor was it lost on me the overly protective stance Edward held wasn't unappreciated for Rosalie seemed to press herself further into Edward's side now and then.

A slow inhale gathered my attention once again. "Edward Cullen." It was a sigh but fuck if my breath didn't hitch by the way his eyes flickered to mine through the corner of his eye, he had his head in direction of his sister and looked almost… I beat it back. Not the time. Would it ever be? No. The glance had come through thick and dark lashes and that color of green… My moth was going dry and I wasn't sure of how to behave myself. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about it for long.

"Hi there!" Alice suddenly chirped next to me. "I see that you've made new friends! My brother is going to be ecstatic!" She was suddenly by my side, wrapping herself around me as she did after every PE lesson. She hated it. I wanted to bang some sense into those bitches.

They were on Alice's case about her not having curves and her lack of height. Together, they were strong, but especially Alice was the weak link when left alone, her brother was the big man in the school and she was very different from him. It was – as in many large groups of self-conscious teens – ugly to be different… and too perfect. I glanced at Edward again. But especially if the different involved trying to _gain_ weight as the larger part of the population of their school complained over their excess and not their lack of weight. The girls in their school complained of their a little to wide waists or big thighs. Alice had none of that, just as she didn't have anything to fill out a bra with.

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead, trying to comfort her. We've been best friends for us to become more like siblings, just like with Emmett. We were family. "You're gorgeous, Al," I mumbled against her head and she sighed, for a second she bored her face into my shirt and tried to calm herself to be the usual force of nature that Alice was. Then she turned and thrust her hand out in Rosalie's direction.

"Alice McCarty with three 'c's. Nice to meet you." And then it went on, if it was one thing Alice could do, it was talk. She actually had the social skills of ten people, never lacking a subject or thought – this she now proved by easily interacting with Rosalie who seemed to actually relax a bit. Alice had even gotten to shake Edward's hand and his face softened as he noticed the impact Al had on his sister. I was jealous of her getting to touch his skin.

I watched at the girls who got to know each other and then I got the feeling I had experienced during the night while I was on my car – someone intently watching me. I glanced at Edward and found me staring at me with new fury. This guy thoroughly seemed to _hate _me. The expression on the pretty face of his was almost a sneer and I had to lock my muscles in place not to recoil from it. Instead of stepping back, I narrowed my eyes right back and held Alice firmer against me for support. I noticed Edward's eyes flicker to my arm around her waist.

I suppressed a yawn and squeezed me knowingly. "- and we have free periods until after lunch so if you don't have anywhere else to be, it would be _awesome_ if you wanted to join us!" Alice's voice slipped into my head again and broke the staring contest between me and Edward. "I love your shoes, by the way!" she said before Rosalie could answer her question. She slipped out of my hold and plopped down onto the floor, knees apart, hunched forward with her hands fingering Rose's shoes. "They are so awesome! I can't believe that out of all the colors I've bought when it comes to docs, white was never one of them!" She tapped her finger against the shoe and Rosalie raised her eyebrows in wonder at me, smiling slightly. I couldn't do much but shrug and smile, this was so Alice. I couldn't wait for them meeting Emmett with the same type of carefree personality.

Alice's voice kept streaming up from the floor as she admired Rose's shoes, finally, the girl had relaxed enough to let go of her brother and step away a bit. This had Edward stuff his hands into his pockets and shove his shoulders up.

I swallowed tightly and tried to prevent my eyes from sliding over his body again.

I backed away, it probably wouldn't be polite to jump this angel faced boy… and I wasn't in the mood explaining a black eye to Mike – _dad_.

We walked towards the steps outside of the school, few ever sat there because of the rain but that never bothered the three of us, now Alice practically dragged Rose out there, hooking their arms together, we didn't have much choice but to follow. They sat down on the higher steps where only sprinkle of water had landed from bouncing off the ground, Alice stuck her feet out into the pouring rain and tapped the toes of her shoes together. Her words were as streaming as the rain. For some reason, Edward had ended up next to me as I sank down next to Alice. I was almost too aware of him sitting next to me and considered moving to sit by Rose.

I couldn't. Or _wouldn't _might be more accurate.

I glanced at Edward and found him staring darkly at the parking lot that laid in front of us. I wanted to smooth that anger off his face, I wanted to grab his hand and entwine our fingers. Hell, I wanted to do a lot more than hold his hand.

"I love painting!" Alice suddenly exclaimed and I spun around, staring at her. She had the hugest grin on her face and was a beat away from clapping her hands. I grabbed one of them to calm her down.

"Jeez, Al. Random much? You are going to explode all over the stairs. I love you, girl, but chill!" I entwined her our fingers instead to keep myself from doing something stupid.

Alice turned to me, grinning, then her eyes flickered to Edward, whatever she saw made her brow crunch up a bit before she smoothened it out. "It's just so refreshing to have a _girl_ to talk to – not that you don't qualify-" I almost panicked and she must have seen it because her lips pressed together and she puckered her brow slightly in an apology. "I'm just happy. But there was nothing random about my statement, you were just too deep in your head to hear Rose tell _us_ that Edward here-" she leaned around me and grinned widely again. "Paints." She then bobbed her head to confirm this herself, giving him no option to say anything to deny this.

"He's really good, actually," Rose smiled shyly and hugged her knees to her chest. "He did one a couple of months ago for my birthday… it's amazing!" she smiled towards Edward and just as Al and I had conversations without speaking, they seemed to have a short one that both Alice and I only saw happening but neither of us could understand it.

"Yeah…?" I glanced at Edward who turned back to the parking lot, his elbows were leaned against his knees and one of his elbows supported by one knee, arm stretched up while the other stood atop of his other thigh and hand pushed into his hair. The muscles around his eye were twitching and both Alice and I frowned at him. "What did you paint?" I asked in lack of better things and he just shrugged.

"Okay then…" Alice looked at her tapping pink docs for a moment and then brightened up again. "I painted my parents trailer last year-"

"Tell them what you painted," I muttered but couldn't help smiling. It was crazy.

"- and it looks awesome! Jazz and Em doesn't appreciate fine art – the only thing I've ever done that they approve of is Jazz' room, but that's just because I let them scribble on the walls – you are such children!" She pouted but it soon turned into a smile.

"That's because the thing looks like the cover of an Austin Powers movie!" I shook my head and chuckled at her glare.

"It's not a shaggin' wagon!" Alice exclaimed but she must have been thinking of Emmett just like me because suddenly she smiled slyly and looked at me. "Although…" I nodded and smirked, shaking my head. Emmett had made use out of that thing on several occasions.

"That thing might be ugly but it's effective," I mutter under my breath, having been the one assigned to sit guard outside. I never stayed longer than to receive Em's thumbs up.

Alice went into a detailed description of the thing and Rosalie actually laughed, this erased the deadly glare off Edward's face for a second and I reveled in it, gripping Al's hand tighter to avoid toughing his face. It wasn't hard to get distracted as Al started waving her – and by extension my – hands around as she described the trailer. By the end of it, Rosalie was laughing out loud, something that at first even seemed to take her by surprise.

"Oh, my!" she shook her head and did something her brother was obsessed with on my other side, Rose pushed a hand through her long hair as she laughed. It was as if someone had directed the moment as Emmett chose to step out of the school.

He was in the middle of, "Here you idiots are, who in their right mind would be sitting outside in the rain-" and then he lost his train of thought. Nothing unusual when it comes to Em since he's easily distracted, but it was hilarious to see how his eyes went wide and mouth fell open.

Alice bounced – there's no other way to describe it – up and pulled me back before I managed to snatch my hand form her grip. I pushed up again, glancing at Edward who was staring at my stomach, I awkwardly pulled me t-shirt down and met his eyes.

My smile fell as I stared at him, unable not to. He looked… shocked. Confused. _Adorable_.

That was until his face hardened again and he ripped his eyes off of my body and glared at the lot of cars again.

"Emmett!" Alice almost shrieked and threw her arm around him. "I've made new friends!" She pointed to Rose proudly. "They're awesome!"

"What isn't today," I mumbled and shook my head. "It sounds as if you've run into a couple of kittens and are asking _mommy _to keep them." My gaze snapped up to stare at Rose who had inhaled sharply but no one else heard and therefore, I missed Alice's cutting response to my comment.

Emmett was frozen in his place, staring at Rose who started to squirm until Alice punched his arm. She could pack some punch, even with her scrawny arms. Emmett's hand shot out and he took a step closer to Rose, a gentle expression painted his face as he kneeled by her side. "Emmett McCarty," he said softly – something I didn't think him capable of – and just like his sister, he radiated of that warmth that made people love him. The only difference was that Alice was being bullied for her frank persona and then her looks, Emmett was a guy and it made it easier for his extravagant ways.

Rosalie's cheeks tinted red and I glanced at Edward, he was still glaring… only at Emmett this time. I shook my head and smiled slightly, picking a pebble off the ground and then tossing it out in front of us.

Things were getting complicated.

«»

I glared at the spot where my car usually stood. I had forgotten all about it, Em and Alice had dropped me off after school, Rose had ridden with us but Edward took off in a different direction without explanation. They had stuck with us all day and Emmett had even pressed a smile out of Edward when hopping onto our lunch table and giving a play by play of the latest game. It wasn't until he stepped in the mashed potatoes and then made it into a game that they had him tossed out.

Rose relaxed more and more, speaking to us and when she did, Emmett turned impossibly quiet and smiled goofily at her. He even made Alice drive as he took the backseat on the way home to sit next to Rose who stopped hugging herself in his presence. On the way to the car, she even cringed in his direction instead of the more unthreatening Alice when someone came to close to her.

Now I stood in the light rain, feeling immensely stupid. I had planned on sitting on my car and playing a few tunes with the guitar by my leg, but now I didn't have much choice. I glanced towards the house where my parents were in another match that had started the second dad walked through the door. Mike and Bella, part… year twenty-two. Out of those twenty-two years together, they had been fighting regularly for as long I can remember, so at least sixteen years.

I couldn't go back in there. The paper I had taped over the window hardly helped anything but it really didn't keep the screaming muffled. I heard every word, even my own name came up and I couldn't block it out.

I sank to the ground, propping one leg up and stretching the other one out. I felt their anger roll off me they were fighting over me. Not because of my failing grades or me getting suspended from school. They were fighting over _who had to stay at home with me when I was a baby_.

I ground my teeth together and glared at the guitar as I let the first angry note fall from my fingers. Then they turned into the steady rhythm from 'X-mas in Hell' from Sixx AM as I could hear the words echo in my head and almost smiled at them.

It could have been worse.

This is what I kept reminding myself of as rain dripped against the guitar. It wasn't mine, I would never treat one of mine that way. It was my moms. I did it out of spite and I hated it. _Loved it_.

I'm just as fucked up as they are.

Just then, a car stopped in front of the Cullen's house and a tall, dark and lean figure exited, stalking towards the front door. I didn't realize that I had moved on to 'Bullet Proof… I Wish I Was' until Edward froze, just as he was about to step onto their lit porch. I was watching him, the rain tried to wreck my sight but I couldn't blink it away.

He had one hand on one of the poles supporting the porch roof and leaning forward as if he had gotten stuck, as if someone had clicked pause. His face was lit for above, casting a perfect shadow of his angular jaw. His face held an emotion I couldn't read from the distance but it was… it was intense. And he was beautiful. I swallowed and took him in, realizing too late that my fingers were slowing down until they stopped.

The second the last note had echoed through the night, Edward flinched and bolted in through the door, disappearing from my sight.

I would suddenly rather endure my parents fighting than sit in the spot where he left me. I felt empty. How could that be? I didn't even know him. I had hardly spoken to him. During the day, he had uttered about seventeen words – I had counted, it was actually exactly seventeen – and four of them had been speaking his name. He had only nodded to Emmett. It didn't matter if I told myself that this wasn't really what had happened… I needed to move myself.

I should have said something.

And maybe, just maybe, if I had stayed… I might have been able to help him.

Help them.


End file.
